Students unite, hoping to change the world

Kimberly Venegas, left, and Laura Zelesek help direct fellow students during the creation of a public service announcement during the International Youth Media Summit. ANA VENEGAS , STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Can young people make a difference? No question. But how can they best inspire their generation to find solutions to the problems facing the world? Two forward-thinking teachers in California seem to have found the answer – the International Youth Media Summit, which gathered more than 50 student “delegates” from 25 countries for its ninth annual event, July 14-27, at Soka University of America in Aliso Viejo.

A group of high school students from the Performer’s Academy in Laguna Hills volunteered their time to appear in the delegates’ film projects. Middle and elementary school pupils also participated.

“The summit is trying to empower young people like me to absorb what happens around us and respond to it,” said Jaspreet Kaur, a teenage Indian immigrant who served as an intern at the summit.

“For me, the summit represents a place where we all can share our stories instead of locking them away in a deep corner of the mind; instead, we can chose to do something,” said Kaur, who is executive producer for the live broadcasting news channel at Grover Cleveland High School in Reseda.

Emily Bader, a recent graduate of Cleveland High who was chief organizer for summit, said: “I think young people are idealists – that’s what makes them the ideal age group. We’re not discouraged in any way; we’re very open and enthusiastic to things. The diversity makes the summit more meaningful.”

“(The summit) has changed my life forever,” said Ellinor Svensson, who worked on the youth committee assisting delegates. “The first summit I attended really opened my eyes. It’s amazing – I can’t describe it. It’s like a family really, a huge family. I wish everyone could get this experience.” Svensson studies international relations at a university in Sweden.

The summit was founded in 2006 by Evelyn Seubert and James Gleason,who teach filmmaking at Cleveland High’s media academy, along with Aileen Marshall of Screen School in Scotland. The seeds were planted during discussions in the wake of 9/11. Seubert, president of the summit, said its mission is “to bring young people together from all over the world, to see how they could use media and their passionate energy” to overcome their differences and address issues of global importance.

Some student delegates are “adopted” by individual donors, including some members of the board of advisers and Seubert herself.

The Balkan delegation was forced to cancel when its funds were given to flood victims. Students from Afghanistan attended the summit for the first time, however, tying in with this year’s goal of listening to the voices of children from war zones. Special events included an exhibit of paintings by young Afghan artists and a panel discussion on the role of youth, media and arts in Afghanistan’s future. During the Taliban regime a piece of art was “proof of a serious crime,” according to one of the three Afghan delegates.

The concept of the summit has won over people everywhere.

“All of us recognized it was a great idea,” said the summit’s executive director, Miomir Rajcevic of Serbia, who attended the first summit in Los Angeles in 2006 and has hosted six subsequent ones in Belgrade. “... we realized the summit could help us establish good relations with neighbor countries.

“The younger generation has to be motivated to work together to change the future,” Rajcevic said. “The idea is get them to collaborate, to push decision makers. This is not possible with one or two countries; we must work on a global level.”

Said Seubert: “Another purpose of the summit is to bring kids together from different cultures, from different social-economic backgrounds, to bring them together so they become friends. To have these kids working together, hanging out together, having fun together, eating together, living together – it is such a powerful effective tool to creating understanding.”

Delegates performed a day of service with Orange County nonprofit organizations. They were divided into issue groups in which they created public service announcements focusing on seven key issues: violence, poverty, discrimination, the environment, health, women’s rights and youth empowerment.

Delegates are instructed in film production techniques, including photography, lighting, editing, location scouting, storyboarding and working with actors. They are encouraged to tell the stories visually, without spoken dialogue. “It makes the message more accessible to people,” Bader said.

Kimberly Venegas, left, and Laura Zelesek help direct fellow students during the creation of a public service announcement during the International Youth Media Summit. ANA VENEGAS , STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Geneva Garcia of Mexico, front, cheers with adviser Kate Randolph after a successful scene is completed as part of a public service announcement. ANA VENEGAS , STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Kimberly Venegas, left, and Chica Ochia have created a friendship through their participation in the International Youth Media Summit. ANA VENEGAS , STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Laura Zelesek of Slovenia, left, and Geneva Garcia of Mexico create their public service announcement. ANA VENEGAS , STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Laura Zelesek of Slovenia, left, and Geneva Garcia of Mexico film Kimberley Ng of Malaysia, right, as part of their public service announcement. ANA VENEGAS , STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Kimberley Ng of Malaysia leads a group of other young people while creating a public service announcement to showcase seven global issues at Soka University in Aliso Viejo. ANA VENEGAS , STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Evelyn Seubert is the founder of the International Youth Media Summit. ANA VENEGAS , STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
From left, Laura Zelesek of Slovenia, Geneva Garcia of Mexico and Kimberley Ng of Malaysia work on their public service announcement. ANA VENEGAS , STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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